Sylvester Stallone Tapes Destroyed in Abuse Settlement

In the late 1980s, actor Sylvester Stallone reached a multimillion dollar settlement with his half-sister in response to her allegations that he had abused her for years, it was revealed this week. Now, the New York Post is reporting secret tapes of private conversations between Stallone and his half-sister, Toni-Ann Filiti, were destroyed as part of that settlement.

In 1987, Stallone agreed to pay Filiti $2 million up front, plus $16,666.66 a month for the duration of her life, and establish a trust of $50,000 per year for "psychiatric and medical expenses," the Postreports. Filiti died of lung cancer in 2012 at age 48.

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Now, the Post has obtained settlement documents which indicate that six cassette tapes were destroyed as part of the settlement. Four of the tapes contained conversations between Filiti and Stallone.

Stallone and Filiti's mother, Jacqueline Stallone, believes her son was blackmailed and described the settlement as a "shakedown." "Toni-Ann was on 65 Oxycontin pills a day, and she threatened Sylvester," Jacqueline told the Post. "At the time he was very [famous], and his lawyers said, 'Give her something just to shut her up.'"

A source tells the Post that the destroyed tapes provided evidence that the settlement was, in fact, blackmail on the part of Filiti.

Filiti's son Edd, 19, says his mother maintained up until her death that the abuse actually happened. He told the Post he had no comment on the tapes.